Preprint servers are digital platforms that allow researchers to share their preliminary research for crowdsourced peer review, and one method of making published scholarship open access. There are a wide variety of servers available, and they are generally organized by subject area (such as Biology or Medicine). Before joining a preprint server and sharing your work, make sure that you are allowed to share your work under any existing copyright or publisher agreements.
Below are links to some of the more popular servers available.
Whether your career is months-long or decades-long, it's never too late to start thinking about ways to network and manage your scholarly identity and reputation. Think about what kind of online presence you want to create, what you want to do online, and who you would like to interact with. These things will help you get started, and the rest of the information on this page will help with resources to start your journey.
If you have any questions or would like more detailed information, please reach out to Christina Miskey, Research Impact Librarian, or your Subject Liaison Librarian.
Sharing your research in other places, such as a researcher profile, personalized website, social media, or a preprint server, allows a wider audience to read your research. This could lead to future collaborators, more citations, improvements in scientific findings or writing, and generally more impact and reach for your scholarly or creative works.
Networking can happen in a variety of ways online. First, you'll want to check with colleagues or mentors in your field to see which platforms that others in your discipline are using so you can connect with the most people. Next, you'll want to spend time creating an account and building up your profile. Refer back to the tips listed on the Home and Resources for UNLV Faculty pages for specific tips on doing this. Below is some information about commonly used social media sites and online profiling systems.
Looking for collaborators? Check out these databases that can help you find colleagues to collaborate with on future projects.
Dimensions. This is a database that allows researchers to track trends in grant funding and publication, filtering and sorting by subject area, funder, institution, and dollar amounts over time. Search by subject area or topic, abstract, author, institution, or keyword.
Inspec Analytics. This database allows researchers in the physics and engineering disciplines to search for and monitor research output at the institution, national, and global levels to compare research output and locate potential collaborators.
Pivot. Run by the Office of Sponsored Programs, this searchable database allows researchers to locate funding opportunities and potential collaborators based on their past research and experience. Users can set up automatic alerts to be alerted of potential future opportunities.